I must confess, this season I've watched Raptors' game more than Pistons's game because they are more fun to watch. You never know how great Casey & Co. have done. To watch Amir set screen after screen after screen was a great enjoyment.

And it does not change the fact that Bynum still calls his own number too often, even at times when everyone on the floor knows he is doing so.

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On a championship-contending team, Bynum would be a nice 10th or 11th man that gives you a spark once in a while. For the current Pistons, he is one of few sparks in some games.

I agree with your point, though. Sometimes, Bynum gets into "me against the world" mode and does some excessive chucking.

I don't hold it against Bynum because he is forced to play a lot because no one else on the team knows how to pass the ball. Will's story to get to where he is today is amazing. The guy is an inspiration, imho.

I'm really happy for Toronto. They're the team a lot of us pictured the Pistons being, starting slow and figuring things out.

Mr. +/- Amir Johnson has made himself into a player. Good for him.

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On Bynum: yes, at times, he is looking better than Jennings out there. But the implications are not good for the Pistons. Lee is right on Bynum. He is not a point guard but "calls his number" and shoots or gets into the lane. Problem is that other than an occasional lob to Andre, he is a one man show. And he is not good enough to take on that role. Maybe it is the Piston offense that is the culprit. But Bynum's overall level of play is more of a third tier guard than a second tier guard and he certainly doe not play at a level to get the minutes he is getting.

I am more concerned about Jennings (who had a good shooting game finally) play this year as he is suppose to be the main point guard. A lot of Josh's problems on offense stem from the sub-par point guard play of both Bynum and Jennings and the lack of offensive system on the Pistons. The guards have been given a relatively free ride. I don't think that they should.

On a championship-contending team, Bynum would be a nice 10th or 11th man that gives you a spark once in a while. For the current Pistons, he is one of few sparks in some games.

I agree with your point, though. Sometimes, Bynum gets into "me against the world" mode and does some excessive chucking.

I don't hold it against Bynum because he is forced to play a lot because no one else on the team knows how to pass the ball. Will's story to get to where he is today is amazing. The guy is an inspiration, imho.

On Bynum: yes, at times, he is looking better than Jennings out there. But the implications are not good for the Pistons. Lee is right on Bynum. He is not a point guard but "calls his number" and shoots or gets into the lane. Problem is that other than an occasional lob to Andre, he is a one man show. And he is not good enough to take on that role. Maybe it is the Piston offense that is the culprit. But Bynum's overall level of play is more of a third tier guard than a second tier guard and he certainly doe not play at a level to get the minutes he is getting.

I am more concerned about Jennings (who had a good shooting game finally) play this year as he is suppose to be the main point guard. A lot of Josh's problems on offense stem from the sub-par point guard play of both Bynum and Jennings and the lack of offensive system on the Pistons. The guards have been given a relatively free ride. I don't think that they should.

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Maybe I am alone here, but I think a shoot first PG benefits the Pistons. Bynum is the only guard they have that can do other things like run the P&R or pass. He has been victimized by the Pistons roster because he doesn't play with shooters either.

Bynum absolutely can't start. To me his shooting doesn't hurt the team, it is when he hits those little ruts where he turns the ball over 2-3 times in a row from minimal pressure.

Lee if you want the perfect team out there why don't you go play Fantasy Basketball (the onlinegame).I don't disagrees with yon on the fact that we need better players and that the defence by most current Detroit players is way below NBA average. However the fact remains that these are the players we have at the moment. Pointing out the same things over and over is boring cause things won't change for the next few months. Why not share some light on your insights and start explaing what you would have done and how your rotations work based on facts and stats. All i read in your posts are problems and complaints without brining any solutions other then don't play player X, fire the coach, GM, and owner.

So if the coach is doing such a lousy job then tell me looking at a game what choices you would make as a coach and why. Not based on feelings or preference but on statistical evidence and basic baskteball understanding like putting enough shooters or bigs in. I think you will come to the conclusion that none of the combinations/rotations work perfectly because the pieces just don't fit.

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One, same starters. If we can't solve the pick and roll defense because Jennings can't switch, we bring in Stuckey. We never play Bynum under any circumstances. PS, we bring in Stuckey directly for Jennings, having him play point. And if things are going ok, then Jennings still comes out, for Stuckey, to rest Jennings and to give us a different look on offense. On nights when Stuckey can manage to get to the basket and score efficiently, he stays out there longer.

2nd, at this point, since we do not otherwise have shooting guard on the team, Pope starts, and stays in the game unless he fouls out. He is young enough. It will help our defense. As an emergency, you put Jennings in as the shooting guard with Stuckey running the point.

For now, Smith and Mitchell play all the small forward minutes, as much as possible, with JJ also getting some minutes there. Never does JJ play as a power forward as he is too slight of build to play there. He is too slow as a small forward really, so the less he plays, the better.

That is basically a seven man rotation, with JJ making it 7 1/2. If Harrellson is healthy, he should play some too to get it more like an 8 man rotation. If Siva is healthy, he should be the emergency point guard, and ninth man in the rotation. (note, that is the ninth man, in an eight man rotation. Obviously though, since he will be playing some here and there, you always got to watch out for cases where he fits in a game, due to his better defense, better than Jennings.)

PS, we have a rotations thread, where I am sure you find the same post, or one almost exactly the same from a month or two back.

On Bynum: yes, at times, he is looking better than Jennings out there. But the implications are not good for the Pistons. Lee is right on Bynum. He is not a point guard but "calls his number" and shoots or gets into the lane. Problem is that other than an occasional lob to Andre, he is a one man show. And he is not good enough to take on that role. Maybe it is the Piston offense that is the culprit. But Bynum's overall level of play is more of a third tier guard than a second tier guard and he certainly doe not play at a level to get the minutes he is getting.

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Bynum is an undrafted back-up guard. Lee is not right about his unrelenting critique of Bynum. I disagree with you there. We knew exactly what we were getting when we resigned him. In fact he has exceeded all expectations. What are you expecting from him? Did you think he was going to get taller once we signed him? Did you think he would turn into a pass first point guard?

In the last 20 games, Singler has among our worst on / off court numbers. You got to use current reality, what happens into the season when your rotations are somewhat stabalized and everything is scouted.

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Did the other teams lose their scouting reports? What happened to using current reality?

The unique thing about the last 20 game stretch is that Singler got heavy minutes and started in the last 18 of them. During his time as a starter, he's shooting a .591 TS%, which is just above Lebron James' career average of .580 and close to Drummond's .597, which consists entirely of shots within 2 feet of the basket and a release point of 12' in the air. His .420 3-point shooting has done wonders in terms of stretching the floor.

Meanwhile, the guy that he replaced has languished on the bench offensively. In the last 18 games since he was sent to the bench (per 36):
.351 shooting
.222 from 3-point range
7.3 points
0.8 ast

He has had 0 points in 11 out of 18 appearances. He has had 1 game with more than 2 FGs. He's averaging 1 assist per 44 minutes of playing time.

I'll never say that he doesn't play good D, but man is he anemic on offense.

It's hard for me to criticize the coaching staff for making the switch. If Smith/Monroe/Drummond can't stand to lose a defensive specialist for a guy that spreads the floor at +.400 from deep, then they just don't work together (which I agree they don't).

I'd still like to see Pope in the starting lineup, but just not with the hydra clogging up the paint and with Josh Smith chucking up prayers. At this stage though, I'm afraid that any logical switch might result in a mild winning streak that would eliminate any hope of keeping our draft pick.

I know the final playoff spot is within range, but we have fallen behind NY now and haven't been able to make up three lousy games to get to the final playoff spot the past two weeks.

I cheer for a win in every game, but the players on the floor disappoint me. We can put all the blame on the coaching staff, but they are not out there shooting long and short, passing into coverage or letting their man run around them.

Time to make the all of bench warmers earn their money before the season is over......playing Mitchell, Siva, Pope, Gigi and BoT more would guarantee at least a win in one of the sweepstakes.

Did the other teams lose their scouting reports? What happened to using current reality?

The unique thing about the last 20 game stretch is that Singler got heavy minutes and started in the last 18 of them. During his time as a starter, he's shooting a .591 TS%, which is just above Lebron James' career average of .580 and close to Drummond's .597, which consists entirely of shots within 2 feet of the basket and a release point of 12' in the air. His .420 3-point shooting has done wonders in terms of stretching the floor.

Meanwhile, the guy that he replaced has languished on the bench offensively. In the last 18 games since he was sent to the bench (per 36):
.351 shooting
.222 from 3-point range
7.3 points
0.8 ast

He has had 0 points in 11 out of 18 appearances. He has had 1 game with more than 2 FGs. He's averaging 1 assist per 44 minutes of playing time.

I'll never say that he doesn't play good D, but man is he anemic on offense.

It's hard for me to criticize the coaching staff for making the switch. If Smith/Monroe/Drummond can't stand to lose a defensive specialist for a guy that spreads the floor at +.400 from deep, then they just don't work together (which I agree they don't).

I'd still like to see Pope in the starting lineup, but just not with the hydra clogging up the paint and with Josh Smith chucking up prayers. At this stage though, I'm afraid that any logical switch might result in a mild winning streak that would eliminate any hope of keeping our draft pick.

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You're onto the main issue with your last line, but the logical solution would be to go with Jennings/Pope/Singler/Smith/Drummond and bring Monroe off the bench to establish a 32-mpg rotation for the three bigs. Similarly, your 5-man bench backcourt rotation should involve Jennings, Bynum, Pope, Singler, and Jerebko, and consist of the following eight three winning lineups:

I know there will be some stats, somewhere that will validate Pope, but all of Lee's classic criticisms of Lindsey Hunter could be applied 10 fold to Pope, because he's actually 10 worse than Lindsey Hunter.

Oh but he's tall. I forgot, the one out of game stat that validates a player more than anything he does on the court.

Honestly, Pope is terrible. Maybe he won't be terrible next year, but considering how much PT he has been given as a rookie, he has to be one of the worst rookies in this class.

If I didn't know any better, I'd think that Loyer was reading your blog and trying to incorporate some of your metrics into his decision making process. He relied very heavily on Singler and he looks pretty smart for doing so. However, his wisdom is completely offset by inserting Jerebko into the rotation as it has backfired greatly. That guy has no business in the NBA as he is technically 5.5 times worse than Singler.

In this game, Bynum -2 and Josh Smith -33. Bynum has almost double the assists of the entire starting lineup and somehow gets the blame from you.

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Trying to be slick I see. Sorry, you got to follow the rules. You have to discount the few games after a change. In this case, Singler was put in the starting unit, and we have to see how he holds up to the additional minutes. Now, if you look at the last 12 games, after our new rotation has been established, you will see that Singler is minus 6 per 48 minutes. Go check it out if you do not believe me.

Lee, I'm really trying to abide by the rules (or be "slick"), but they just keep changing. I thought 20 game trailing was the gold standard and forgot to adjust it in the case where the wrong guy comes up on top.

By what percentage do you usually adjust games after a change? Is it usually 8 games that you set as the transition period?

Has bynum's +4 during that 12 game stretch made you any more fond of him? I hadn't realized that he was playing so well based on what I've read about him here. How is the coach getting so much more out of him since cheeks left?

Trying to be slick I see. Sorry, you got to follow the rules. You have to discount the few games after a change. In this case, Singler was put in the starting unit, and we have to see how he holds up to the additional minutes. Now, if you look at the last 12 games, after our new rotation has been established, you will see that Singler is minus 6 per 48 minutes. Go check it out if you do not believe me.

-6 per 48 minutes seems bad until you notice that just about all of the other guys that he plays with (and all of the other starters) are worse than he is.

It's also a fun fact to note that, by Lee's own arbitrary metric, Bynum is the best-performing rotation guy, well ahead of both Stuckey and Singler and far, far ahead of the other four starters (and Jerebko).